German chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Francois Hollande

MOSCOW, June 22. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has emphasized the necessity of immediate cessation of Kiev’s bombardment of Donbas communities in a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, the Kremlin press service said on Monday.

"The Russian side once again stressed the necessity of immediate cessation of Ukrainian troops’ shelling populated localities in Donbas, of invigorating the process of political settlement, solving issues of the constitutional reform and socio-economic revival of south-eastern regions," the press service said.

The three leaders "voiced a number of ideas in the context of a Normandy format [Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine] meeting of foreign ministers planned to be held in Paris on June 23 and further meetings of the Contact Group on Ukraine and its sectoral working groups in Minsk," the press service said, adding that Putin, Merkel and Hollande had agreed to continue personal contacts.